Venetian blind construction



Ot. 15, 1935. P. H. KLJYFERl 2,017,541

VENETIAN BLIND CONSTRUCTION v original Filed March 12, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 24 66 ./5l

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/0 F52 I l 52 Oct. 15, 1935. P. H. KUYPER 2,07541 VENETIAN BLIND CONSTRUCTION original Filed March 12, 19345 2 SheetS-She 2 Patented Oct. l5, 1935 PATENT OFFICE I 2,017,541 vENn'rmN BLIND CONSTRUCTION Peter H. Kuyper, Pella, Iowa, asslgnor to Rolscreen Company, Pella, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Original application March 12, 1934, Serial No.

715,148. Divided and this application September 2l, 1934, Serial No. 744,923

4 claims. (ol. 15s-17) blind structure forwardly and rearwardly, are

supported and concealed.

A further object is to provide a casing having a iiat bottom against which the uppermost blind slat may rest `in substantially parallel position whereby the blind, when in raised position, will it snugly against the under side of the housing and eliminate lany light line between the slats and the casing of the blind. The bottom wall of the casing is substantially the same width and length as are the blind slats so that when the slats are in nested position a neat appearing structure will be provided.

Still a further object is to provide a casing for concealing the operating mechanism of the Venetian blind which is rectangular in cross section and which lends itself to being mounted against the head jamb of a window opening and supported by means of attachment with the side jambs of the window opening, eliminating any Y open spaces or light spaces between the casing itself and the head jamb or side jambs of the window opening. Still another object is to provide a Venetian blind in which the blind can be raised and the slats, even though inclined before the raising operation, can be automatically pulled up to a horizontal position when the blind is completely raised, thus nesting the slats neatly in a level position below the horizontal bottom wall of the casing.

Heretofore the conventional Venetian blind included a supporting bar and a tipping bar positioned below the supporting bar and spaced therefrom; the slats were suspended from the tipping or -tiltingr.bar. When the slats were in raised position, then there would be a light space between the supporting bar and the tipping bar asv well as between the supporting bar and the head jamb of the window opening, which does not lend itself to making a neat` appearing Ve- .netian blind structure when in closed position f and it has been my object to overcome and eliminate any light spaces between the blind slat and the support therefor.

Still a further object is to provide means for supporting the tapeladders in such position that when the slats are in closed or inclined position 5 the slats will assume a lposition close to the window and at the same time moli-center relationship to. the casing from which they are suspended.

With these and other objects in view my iu-` 10 vention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts ol my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth,

pointedout in my claims and illustrated 'in the 15- accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is' a perspective view of my Venetian blind structure in closed position. Figure 2 is a similar view with the blind slats in extended or lowered position, N

Figure 3. is a sectional view taken'on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line l| of Figure 2, the dotted lines illustrating positions oi' the slats when partially inclined. 25-

Figu're 5 is a top plan view oi the casing for j the Venetian blind and the operating and supporting mechanism therein.

Figure Gis an enlarged sectional view illustrating the blind slats in fully inclined or closed po- 3 sition,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one end of the casing illustrating the spring catch and 'support I for the casing,

Figure 8 is a top plan view of one end of the 35 housing, substantially enlarged;and

Figure9 is a diagrammatic view showing the parts in Figure 6 adjusted to a position where the blind is nearly completely raised.

On the accompanying drawings I have used 4 the reference character A to indicate generally a window opening which includes side jambs Ill and a head jamb l2. My Venetian blind stmoture includes a casing B having a bottom Il, a

front wall I6 and a rear wall I8. The casing45- B is formed of sheet metalbent into the form of a channel and the upper ends of the walls i6 and I8 are bent inwardly and downturned as at 20 and 22 to provide a reinforcing edge for the walls le and m4 and to give rigidity to 5 the entire casing.- 0n each end oi' the casing a spring catch 24 is secured to the inside of thewall I8 byspot welding, or any other suitable manner. The catch 24 has a single engaging piece 26 which projects beyond and forward- 55 'Figure'lofthedrawings i In order to support the casing relative lto a window opening, I provide a bracket support 26 having a bottom support 30 and a side wall 32.

'The side wall 32 is provided with openings 64 through which screws' or the like I6 may 'project for mounting the bracket support 28 relative tp a. window openingin thevside lambs i6 thereof. The supporting bracket 26 includes a narrow front wall 38 against 4which-the spring catch 24 rests.

Thel casing B is slid onto the bottom so of the supporting brackets 28 and the spring catches 24 retain the casing B relative to the supporting.

brackets 28 under a yielding tension.- Thecas ing B may be quickly and easily removed from its supports bypulling the spring catch inwardly or towards the casing B. The position of one of the spring catches 24 is indicated in'dotted lines in Figure 8 and whenin this position the housing can be removed from the supporting brackets.

Within the casing B are -mounted brackets 46. Rotatably mounted) thin the brackets 46 are a pair of rollers orv sh ts 42. Between the shafts 42 and supported in each bracket 46 are pulley wheels 444. The two shafts are geared together by a train of gears 46. A shaft 48 is connected to one of the train of gears -46 and has a drum or the like 56 secured thereto. A tilting cord 52 is connected to the drum 56 and has its vfree ends extending through an opening 64 formed in the front wall I6 of -the casing B. A roller 55 is provided for the cord 52 to reducefriction.

Knobs or the like 56 are secured to the free ends of the tilting cord 62. Pulling of either of the ends of the cord 56 will impart rotation to the drum 50 andthereby to the train of gears 46 and the shafts 42 in the same direction. The parts just described are clearly illustrated in my co-pending application Serial No. 715,148.

Secured to each of the shafts 42 are tape ladders C. The tape ladders C are ileidblepreferably being formed of -a woven cloth-like' material.

Y-Each of the tape ladders C includes rungsor supporting pieces 68, which are connected to the tapes 60. Secured to the lower end of the tape ladders is a lowerr rail 62. Mounted and supported upon each of the rungs 66 of the tape ladders C is a blind slat.64. Extending through slots in the slats 64 and secured to the lower rail 62 are a pair of cords 66, which may be properly termed raising and lowering cords. The cords 66 are normally hidden from view by the tape ladders C. The cords 66 extend over the pulley wheels 44 and pass through a guide and retaining device D and project downwardly through the casing B.

Secured' to the guide and retaining device D is a control cord 68, which may be operated forV causing the retaining device to grip the cords 66 and retain the Venetian'blind in its raised.

position.

When it is desired to inclinevthe blind slats either forwardly or rearwardly, the cords 66 are engaged and through them thedrum 66 is rotated in either direction with the result that one tape of each tape ladder will wind onto a shaft 42 while the other one will unwind therefrom,

. thus causing the rungs 58 to move to an inolined position with the slats resting thereon likewise moving to an inclined position. In Figure 4 the slats have been shown only partially inclined bydotted lines. I

' that the 'entire Venetian blind will actually be suspended from a single tape of the tape ladder. The' tendency will be for the slats to assume a position close tothe window opening.

It will belnoted froman examination of Figures 1 and 3 that'the bottom I4 of the casing is substantially the same lwidth as the slats 64 and it will .also be noted that the slats 64 are capable of being positioned closeto and against 15 the under side -of the casing B. It is desirable to avoidv any light spaces between the casing B and the slats when they are in lraised position. The casing itself, of my -Venetian blind structure.

rests against the under side of the head Jamb 2o and there is no light space therebetween. My blind structure lends itself to being positioned within the window opening and not interfering with the architectural beauty.

I have found from actual experience in the al A commercial productionof my blind that it is desirable in residences to provide a blind structure that does not, have exposed any of the hardware or supporting brackets of the blind and with my blind structure the slats and tape ladders are lo suspended from the casing B with all of the operating mechanism ofthe blind mounted within the casing.

In Figure 9 I have shown how the slats can all be pulled up close together when raising the 6I blind as in Figure 6 and then automatically swung to horizontal nested position, Figure 9 illustrating the slats swung about half way to such nested position o r assuming a position intermediate the positions shown in Figures 6 and 3. 40

It is obvious that with the slats tipped to any angle when the raising rope 66 is manipulated to raise the blind the bottom rail 62 will first pick up the slats and then exert a tipping force on the slats as the rope 66 is further pulled there- 45 after. This will swing theslats in the direction of the arrow a in Figure 9 and iinally pull them up to theposition of Figure 3 irrespective of the f' angle ofthe slats before they are pulled to their the invention 60 raised position. .This feature of is quite desirablel as, for the sake of neatness,

l the slats should be horizontal when they are jcompletelynested, instead of being at an angle,

and this is accomplished in my construction without the necessity of adjusting `the `slats to their 615"L horizontal position before raising them.

Some changes may be made in the constructi and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the realv spirit and' pm'pose of my invention, and it is my intention tocover 60 by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents, which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a Venetian blind'head member, a casing, s l

means within said casing for suspending a Venetian blind comprising plural tape ladders 'and slats and means within said casing for tip- 'ping said slats, said last means being adjustable and in one position of its adjustment support- 7 ing one side of each tape ladder loosely and the other side of each tape laddertaut, whereby the slats will assume a position of suspension adjacent the side of each tape ladder that is taut to effect maximum closure of the slats.

2. In a Venetian blind support for a Venetian blind having tape laddersand slats, a casing. means therein for suspending the two sides of said tape ladders for either holding the blind slats in a horizontal plane or. raising one side of the tape ladders while lowering the other side thereof to eiect tipping ot'said slats, said. blind.'

when said means is adjusted to position for closure thereof, being suspendedin a position ont oi' the normal vertical plane of the blind 'and by one side only of said tape ladders.

3. In a Venetian blind structure, s supporting casing adapted for mounting adjacent one side of a window frame, means onsaid support for suspending the tapes'oi a Venetian-blindhavlng tape ladders and slats in a normal,llosii'fioh"directly below said support and spaced windowirame and for raising one side of.' said tape ladders while lowering the otherside thereoi to e'ect tipping of said slats, said blind, when said means is adjusted to position for closure thereof, beingsuspended by one side of said tape ladders only and in a position with said Venetian blind out of alignment with its normal position and closely adjacent said window frame.

4. In a Venetian blind structure, a. casing,vsup porting means therein connected with one side of the tape ladders of a Venetian blind and a second supporting means therein connected with 1o the other side of said tape ladders for adjusting thea'ngle' ,of the slats of' a Venetian blind, said rst means when in one position supporting one side oi each tape ladder' loosely and said second means supporting the other side taut whereby i5 Pm H. KUYPER. 

